Shooting range ceiling protection device

ABSTRACT

A ceiling protection device for a shooting range which includes a plurality of rectangular ceiling modules locked together at the sides and being suspended at the top and bottom edges. Each one of the modules has two positions for being hooked by a suspension chain. Normally only one chain is coupled to one of the hooks, leaving the other hook unused. When it is desired to remove and replace one of the modules due to excessive damage, the chain is merely unhooked from its normal position and connected to an adjacent hook means of another module. Once this is accomplished the module which is being replaced is free to be readily disconnected from the remaining ceiling structure. When the module is replaced, the chain is merely restored to its original position in the new module.

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' SHOOTING RANGE CEILING PROTECTION DEVICE [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Detroit Bullet Trap Corp.,

Schaumberg, Ill.

[22] Filed: Dec. 21, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 210,359

Joseph Nikoden, Jr., lnverness, lll.

Lambert 52/39 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney. Agent, or Firm-l-Iill, Gross, Simpson, Va Santen, Steadman, Chiara & Simpson [5 7] ABSTRACT A ceiling protection device for a shooting range which includes a plurality of rectangular ceiling modules locked together at the sides and being suspended at 52 us. 01. 109/495 the toP andbottom edges' the "mules 51 1111.01 E06b 9/00 has PSitinS being hooked by a suspensmn [58] Field of Search 109/495 85' 52/39 29 Qhain Normally Only one Chain is Coupled 0f 1 52/484 the hooks, leaving the other book unused. When it is desired to remove and replace one of the modules due [56] References Cited. to excessive damage, the chain is merely unhooked from its normal position and connected to an adjacent UNITED STATES PATENTS hook means of another module. Once this is accom- 1,866,539 7/ I932 Bonsall 52/39 X plished the module which is in replaced i f to glark 5% be readily disconnected from the remaining ceiling 1, 52 5/1960 g g 525485 X structure. When the module is replaced, the chain is 3 019 561 2/1962 -Weber....... :1: 52/486X merely restored to its Original Wsitio" the new 3.072.183 1/1963 Barbieret al 52/486 x module v Boltz et a1 52/484 X 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 6 6 L 00 D 'c 6 0 va-mi L u a ll Q u 7 r1 (-308 an :1 I

I4 JIM a l I 1 1 l PATENTEDJUH 1 1 m4 suzcnnrz INVENTOR.

Joseph Nl'koden BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The field of art to which this invention pertains is a ceiling protection device for shooting ranges and in particular to ceiling protection devices being made of acoustical material which may be readily removed and replaced due to excessive damage caused by normal use of the shooting range.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an important feature of the present invention to provide an improved ceiling device for a shooting range. 7

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a ceiling protection device fora shooting range which is formed of individual modules which may be readily removed and replaced.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide an integral ceiling structure made of individual modules or baffle sections where each section maybe readily removed by simply coupling or uncouplinga suspension chain which supports the ceilingstructure.

It is another object of the present invention to pro vide an acoustical ceiling device for a shooting range which is comprised of a plurality of rectangular ceiling modules connected together atthe sidesand suspended by link chains at the. top and bottomedges where each of the modules has a hook position normallyunusedso that a link chain ofone module may be readily coupled.

to an unused hook position of an adjacent module, thereby permitting'the ready removal andreplacement of separate ones of the modules withoutdisturbing theentire ceiling structure.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a series of acoustical panelsas ashooting range ceiling protector where the panels are connected together to form an integral ceiling structure andwherein each panel has two. positions for being connected to asuspension chain, and wherein suspensionchains are normally connected to alternate ones of these positions with means being provided to readily remove the chain.

from its normally coupled position to the position of an adjacent unused coupling point to permitthe ready removal of any one of the acoustical panels.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings,

although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 2 1 FIG. 4 shows asection of the ceiling structure taken along the lines a-a of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED 4 EMBODIMENT The present invention relates to a ceiling protection device for a shooting range which is comprised ofa series of rectangular ceiling modules which are connected in side-by-side relation to form an integral ceiling structure. The modules consist of a light weight metal frame'which supports an acoustical panel. The acoustical panel acts as the finished ceiling.

The entire structure is supported from a main ceiling bya series of'suspension chains. These chains are coupled to the top and to the bottom edge of the acoustical ceiling structure. The acoustical ceiling structure has coupling means in each of the modules for being attached to the suspension chains. While each module has'two such coupling means, only one is used, and only one suspension chain is used for each module. The chains are. coupled to alternate ones of the coupling means-so that when it is desired to remove and replace one of the modules, it'is merely necessary to reposition one of the chains from the module which is to be removed to the adjacent unused coupling. means of another nearby module. The modules are held together in.

supported from the main ceiling by a series of flexible suspension chains ll, l2, l3; l4" and 15 which maybe simple link chains. In this case, a series of L brackets l6, 17, 18, 19 and20 are shown as being suitably fastened to the concrete ceiling 10;l7he suspension chains 11 through I'Sare thencoupled to the L brackets by a series ofS hooks 21 through 25.

The acoustical ceiling structure includes a plurality ofindividual modules 26, 27, 28 and'29'which are coupled together to form an integral ceiling structure. The

modules, such as the modules 26 andi27 are coupled together in side-by-side relation by a number of' pins or screws 30 and.3l. Each of the modules 26 through 29 has a pair of coupling or connector means at the top and bottom edges of the module. For instance, the module 26 has coupling means 32 and 33 at the top edge 34, and additional coupling-means 35 and 36 at the bottomedge 37. The coupling means may be brackets withholes to connect to an S type hook such as is shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to F-IG. 2, reference numerals for FIG. Iv

have been carried to FIG. 2 to show similar features. However, in FIG. 2, one ofthe modules 27 is shown as being dama'gedas at 38 and'has been removed fromits connectedposition with the adjacent modules 26 and 28; The 'module 27 was removed by first disconnecting the screws 30 and.3l as well as their counterparts 30a.

and 3-l*a. With the screws removed, it was then merely necessary to reposition the suspension chain I2 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the'position shown in FIG. 2. A similar suspension chain was repositioned at the bottom of the module, thereby freeing the module to be removed and replaced. A new module is then merely inserted by repositioning the suspension chains and reconnecting the screws 30, 30a, 31 and 31a.

The configuration of the individual modules is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIG. 3, the module 26 is shown as being supported by the chain 11 and a further chain 39 whichis connected at the bottom edge 37 of the module 26.

The module is supported approximately at a 30 angle facing the shooter, and is supported by brackets 40 and 41 which are coupled to S hooks 42 and 43. Also, the module 26 is shown as having a pair of holes 44 and 45 for receiving the screws 30 and 31 in order to join together with an adjacent module in the side-byside relation shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In FIG. 4, a cross section of the module of FIG. 3 is shown. The scale of the drawing in FIG. 4 is approximately four times the scale of the drawing in FIG. 3. The module 26 is shown in FIG. 4 as being constructed of a metal frame which includes a plurality of C-shaped channel spacers 46, 47, 48 and 49. A sheet metal cover 50 is caused to overlie the spacers 46 through 49 and extends around the spacers, terminating in a flange 51 at one edge and a flange 52 at the other edge. Flanges 51 and 52 are spaced from the bottom edges of the members 46 through 49 to provide an opening to receive an acoustic panel 53. The panel 53 may be onehalf inch thick vinyl clad acoustic material which is friction fit into the spaces 54 and 55 which are formed by the flanges 51 and 52.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a means for assembling an integral ceiling structure of separate modules which may be readily removed without disturbing the support for the remaining modules.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shooting range. the combination of: a plurality of rectangular ceiling modules locked together at the sides and being free at the top and bottom edges. said modules being angled rearwardly and downwardly. two hook means in each module along the top edge. said hook means being spaced apart toward the sides of the module so that a hook means of one module is positioned near a hook means of an adjacent module, a plurality of suspension means, each of said suspension means being normally coupled to alternate ones of said hook means along the length of said top edge, means for suspending the rear edge of the modules, and the remaining hook means being normally unused, whereby any one of said suspension means may be readily transferred to an adjacent hook means of another module to permit the ready replacement of the module from which the suspension means has been transferred.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 edge in the same manner as for the top edge. 

1. In a shooting range, the combination of: a plurality of rectangular ceiling modules locked together at the sides and being free at the top and bottom edges, said modules being angled rearwardly and downwardly, two hook means in each module along the top edge, said hook means being spaced apart toward the sides of the module so that a hook means of one module is positioned near a hook means of an adjacent module, a plurality of suspension means, each of said suspension means being normally coupled to alternate ones of said hook means along the length of said top edge, means for suspending the rear edge of the modules, and the remaining hook means being normally unused, whereby any one of said suspension means may be readily transferred to an adjacent hook means of another module to permit the ready replacement of the module from which the suspension means has been transferred.
 2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein two hook means are provided in each module along the bottom edge thereof, said hook means being disposed similarly to the hook means at the top edge and suspension means being arranged for the bottom edge in the same manner as for the top edge. 